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Frederick County Office of Sustainability
and Environmental Resources
Fall 2017
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County Executive Launches C-PACE
On October 16, County Executive Jan H. Gardner announced the launch of her Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) loan program.
C
-PACE
provides loans for businesses and nonprofits that want to invest in energy efficiency, renewables, and water conservation projects. The loans are paid back through a surcharge on the tax bill. This new program allows property owners to free up a new line of capital, create loans with up to a 20 year payback that can be cash flow positive from day one, and get favorable loan terms due to the strong position of a tax lien should the property go to tax sale.
T
he County partnered with the
Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC)
to create the program. MCEC will serve as the Program Administrator, and Pace Financial Servicing its Agent. Businesses with an interest in the program can call (443) 949-8505 or email [email protected].
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Sustainability Highlighted During State of the County Address
D
id you catch
County Executive Jan Gardner's State of the County Address? She shared
an exciting vision of our County that creates educational opportunities for the future, leads in technology, and includes all citizens. Sustainability was highlighted in her presentation: she discussed how she raised the profile of OSER's efforts by moving us into the County Executive's Office, shared successes of our home energy efficiency and solar cooperative programs, and talked about how sustainability fits into her vision for the County's future.
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October is Energy Action Month:
Tips for Taking Action
A
re you dreading the approaching cooler weather and the prospect of higher utility
bills? Taking proactive action now to make your home more energy efficient is one way to take charge and lift your spirits. October is historically Energy Action Month!
W
hy is energy efficiency important? While energy efficiency will help your household directly by lowering your utility bills, it also helps our nation by reducing the amount of energy that needs to be produced. This can lead to fewer fossil fuel power plants, cleaner air, and lower planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, it creates jobs. Did you know that energy efficiency work has created 67,061 jobs in Maryland, and 2.2 million jobs across the U.S.? Here
are some ways you can take action during Energy Action Month
or any other month
:
read more
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Public Comments Wanted!
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Frederick County Fire and Rescue team cleans up illegally dumped used anti-freeze drums
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O
SER needs your input!
We are ramping up our Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE)
Program
with a new stormwater ordinance. The proposed ordinance will establish procedures to aid County staff in identifying and eliminating illicit discharges (spills, dumps, etc.) and connections to the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) - a stormwater conveyance system leading straight to our waterways. The ordinance will be released for public comment sometime between November and December, so be on the lookout!
W
e are also gearing up to take on new restoration projects around Frederick County with the help of our watershed assessments! Our consultants have put together reports with potential projects for the following watersheds: Lower Ballenger Creek, Middle Ballenger Creek, Lower Monocacy, Upper Monocacy, Point of Rocks, and Little Hunting Creek. Help us implement restoration projects by letting us know which projects you think we should install! The assessments are
up on our website now
!
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Green Leader Brigade Learns
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Jenny Willoughby talks to the class about a Black Gum tree in Waterford Park.
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about
Tree Diversity
What a beautiful day we had for our Green Leader Brigade "Tree Diversity" skill-building session on October 7th! Thank you to Jenny Willoughby, Sustainability Manager
for the City of Frederick, and to their
C
hesapeake Conservation Corps Volunteer, Yash
, for taking our group on a very informative walk through Waterford Park in Frederick. Participants learned about tree canopy, diversity and choosing the right tree for the right place. Thank you to everyone who participated!
If you would like more information about the Green Leader Brigade and our upcoming events, please email
[email protected].
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Kim Campbell and Green Ambassador David Barrow at the OSER booth at "In The Street".
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Take the Pet Waste and Septic Tank Surveys!
T
hank you to all of the Frederick County residents who participated in our Pet Waste
Survey
at
Frederick's "In the Street" festival on September 9th! 82 residents participated in the survey and statistics revealed that
70%
of the residents surveyed picked up after their dog and
87%
of people throw their pet waste in the trash.
Let us know what you
think about pet waste in your neighborhood and help us raise awareness by taking the survey
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Septic tanks aren't a fun topic, but maintenance of your
septic tank
i
s important! Do you know all the facts to keep your system running properly? Take this short survey to test your knowledge and visit this link "Homeowner's Guide to Septic Systems" for a septic system fact sheet and a handy maintenance checklist.
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Monocacy and Catoctin Watershed Alliance
The
Monocacy and Catoctin Watershed Alliance (MCWA) held its quarterly meeting on October 11, 2017 at the Catoctin Creek Park Nature Center in Frederick. Guest speaker Chuck Dinkel, from the
Potomac-Patuxent Chapter of Trout Unlimited walked the audience through a typical year in the life of a Trout in the Classroom student. Trout in the Classroom is a conservation organization whose mission is to "conserve, protect, and restore cold water fisheries and their watersheds". Through Trout in the Classroom, students in 20 Frederick County schools receive fertilized Kamloops rainbow trout eggs, hatch and raise them in their classroom aquariums and release the fingerlings into local streams. This program allows students to learn to appreciate the importance of cold clean water and environmental stewardship.
Check our
MCWA website for information about our upcoming meetings!
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OSER Updates
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Kim Campbell
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O
SER welcomes
Kim Campbell
who has joined our staff as our new
Administrative Specialist.
Kim comes to us from the Frederick County Division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management. Prior to joining Frederick County Government, Kim was an Instructional Assistant with Frederick County Public Schools where she worked with special needs students. Kim attended Montgomery College and is currently getting her ASL certification from FCC.
New Email and Social Media Links
W
e have a
new e-mail address!
If you need to reach us with any questions or concerns please send an e-mail to the following:
[email protected]
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O
SER has also revitalized its existing social media accounts and even added new ones! Follow our new
Twitter
page for quick updates, links, and occasional wisdom regarding the environment and sustainability here in Frederick County. Are you a fan of the more aesthetic side of the county's environment? Follow our new
Instagram
page for dazzling pictures of our county and OSER crew! In
addition to these two new ways to connect to us, our
Facebook
page is more active than ever. Check us out on all these outlets found at our universal handle:
sustainablefcmd.
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Upcoming Events
Stream-Link Education Community Tree Plantings
Waterside Community, Frederick
Saturday, October 21, 2017 - 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, October 28, 2017 - 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, November 11, 2017 - 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Frederick County Sustainability Commission Meeting
Wednesday, October 18, 2017 - 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
3rd Floor Meeting Room
Winchester Hall, Frederick, MD
Frederick County Sustainability Commission Meeting
Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
3rd Floor Meeting Room
Winchester Hall, Frederick, MD
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